News and commentary

Ottawa, August 26, 2010 –Canada’s universities welcome the announcement of a $200.5 million research infrastructure competition at the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The funding through the Leading Edge Fund and New Initiatives Fund will support existing and new research infrastructure projects.

“This initiative will strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities and research hospitals to carry out world-class research and technology development,” said Paul Davidson, President of AUCC. “These investments will support the ability of university researchers to generate the benefits that enhance the daily lives of Canadians.”

The newly announced CFI funding will ensure that researchers across Canada and their international partners will have access to world-class research infrastructure that will drive transformational discoveries for many years to come.

This investment, when combined with recent investments in CFI’s Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF), the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, the new Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program, the Vanier Scholarships and the Knowledge Infrastructure Program make Canada a more attractive destination for the best and brightest researchers from around the world.

“Support for research, researchers and infrastructure is essential to feed innovation, and ensure Canada can compete in the global knowledge-based economy,” added Mr. Davidson.

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AUCC is the national voice for Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

For more information:

Lyse Huot
Director, Government Relations and Communications
AUCC

Ottawa, July 8, 2010 — Canada’s universities join Canadians from coast to coast in congratulating Professor David L. Johnston, a pre-eminent Canadian and academic leader, on his appointment as the 28th Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.

Professor Johnston has devoted his life to the pursuit of excellence. Throughout his distinguished career, he has provided energetic and transformative leadership and wholehearted service to the academic community, the private sector, governments, and to Canada as a whole.

“The Prime Minister has chosen a person of outstanding accomplishment, deep integrity, with a profound faith in Canada’s future,” says Paul Davidson, president of AUCC. “David Johnston has been tireless in promoting the values and institutions that build a strong society, and is a passionate champion for Canada.”

Professor Johnston has headed two outstanding Canadian universities, serving as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo since 1999, and as principal and vice-chancellor of McGill University from 1979 to 1994. At the University of Waterloo, Professor Johnston’s vision and energy have been fundamental to further building the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial culture of Waterloo.

“David Johnston’s aspirations for Canada are global, and at the same time he understands the importance of building strong local communities,” Mr. Davidson adds.

Professor Johnston’s inspiration and vision also made its mark on AUCC. He served as a member of the association’s Board of Directors from 1981 to 1988, and chaired the Board from 1985 to 1987. His wisdom and exceptional leadership strengthened all of Canada’s universities. He has continued to make an important contribution to the future of Canadian universities through his current service as a member of AUCC’s Standing Advisory Committee on International Relations, and in providing advice on Canada’s digital economy. He has also been a mentor to many university presidents across the country.

His academic career reflects the depth of his scholarship and his outstanding contributions to research and innovation: a specialist in securities regulation, corporation law, public policy and information technology law, his own research and teaching have been exceptional and groundbreaking. He has received more than a dozen honorary degrees from universities across the country, and was the founding chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and Economy, chair of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and in the mid-1990s when Canada was first beginning to understand the implications of the new knowledge economy, chaired the advisory council to the federal government on the information highway. He later also served as chair of Canada’s National Task Force on High Speed Broadband Access.

Warm, engaging, inspiring, personable and authentic are just some of the words used to describe Professor Johnston, who has shaped Canada’s universities for the past four decades. “Professor Johnston exhibits a profound faith in the future, as he motivates generations of students, researchers and faculty to help create a more prosperous and healthy society,” says Mr. Davidson.

Professor Johnston and his wife Sharon are proud and devoted grandparents and parents of five daughters: Deborah, Alexandra, Sharon, Jenifer and Catherine. Among them, his daughters hold more than 14 degrees from universities in Canada, the United States, Mexico and China.

“On behalf of his colleagues at AUCC, we wish Professor Johnston and his family well on this important next step in their service to Canada,” Davidson said.

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AUCC is the national voice for Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

For more information:

Mélanie Béchard
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Email: mbechard@aucc.ca
Telephone: 613-563-3961, ext. 306

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Ottawa, July 6, 2010 – Today, Canada’s universities welcome a vital new tool – the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program – to attract and retain exceptional researchers. The program is designed to offer leading Canadian and international postdoctoral fellows, across disciplines, a significant financial award to pursue their research.

“Canada’s not just doing one thing. This is the latest in a series of sustained and complementary programs to attract more creative and innovative people,” said Paul Davidson, president and CEO of AUCC. “We need more leaders, more researchers at the top of their game, to help Canada address critical health, social, economic and environmental issues,” he added.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program is a key component of a coordinated suite of programs that support students and researchers at various stages of their careers. Over the last several years, the government has created and maintained model programs including the Canada Research Chairs and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. Just recently, as a result of the new and prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chairs program, Canada welcomed 19 world-leading international university researchers to its campuses.

Budget 2010 provided $45 million over five years to the federal research granting agencies to establish a new and prestigious postdoctoral program. The internationally-competitive fellowships are valued at $70,000 per year for two years. The first 70 fellowships will be awarded in 2010–11. In 2011-12, and thereafter, the new program will fund 140 fellowships annually.

Today’s additional investment in people will help maximize the benefits of recent major targeted funding for postsecondary teaching and research infrastructure through the government’s Knowledge Infrastructure Program and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. With support for researchers and infrastructure, Canada is enhancing the innovative capacity needed to build the economy of tomorrow.

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AUCC is the national voice for Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

For more information:

Caroline Lachance
Senior Policy Analyst
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Email: clachance@aucc.ca
Telephone: 613-563-3961, ext. 242

Five national education associations establish the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing

Ottawa, June 29, 2010 – As a signal of their commitment to attracting the best and brightest students to Canada, the presidents of five key national education associations signed a Memorandum of Understanding today establishing the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing.

The consortium members include the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, the Canadian Association of Public Schools – International, the Canadian Bureau for International Education and Languages Canada. The consortium, which represents the vast majority of Canadian education institutions engaged in marketing abroad, will aim to provide leadership, coordination and added value to the sector’s marketing efforts to attract international students to Canada.

Canadian education institutions face intense competition in international student recruitment from countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom which benefit from well-funded central coordinating bodies that promote their education systems around the world.

To compete on this global stage, collective action is required. This new consortium will draw on the strengths of each member and strategically align activities to improve the results of marketing efforts promoting Canada as a destination of choice to the growing pool of international students.

This sector-led initiative includes an action plan outlining innovative approaches to enhance visibility in key markets. It will align with and support the priorities of government partners, including Canadian missions abroad. The consortium will propose the action plan as a basis for a partnership with federal and provincial/territorial governments.

The consortium is committed to contributing to the national objective of welcoming more international students, who in addition to being a potential source of talent for this country, make an immediate economic impact of approximately $6.5 billion annually according to a study conducted by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

There are many benefits associated with international students, both while they are here studying and after graduation, whether they choose to return home or put their expertise and knowledge to work in Canada. Consortium partners believe that bringing the education sector together will contribute to achieving the goal of maximizing these benefits.

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For more information:

Norah Lynn Paddock
Senior Policy Analyst
International Relations Division
Tel.: 613-563-3961 , ext 321

OTTAWA, June 21, 2010 – In conjunction with National Aboriginal Day, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada released a report today on the programs and services Canadian universities offer to Aboriginal students.

Last fall, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo issued a call to action to Canadian universities to help address the fact that the attainment level for Aboriginal students at university is just one-third of that of their non-Aboriginal peers. Today’s report demonstrates that universities across the country are answering the call.

“The study shows remarkable innovation on campuses to address Aboriginal student needs. Advances in curriculum and Aboriginal faculty leadership along with increased respect for Indigenous knowledge are benefiting the university community and the country,” said Paul Davidson, President of AUCC. “Taken together these new programs and services are creating a culture of student success,” Mr. Davidson added.

Canada’s Aboriginal population is growing at three times the national average. Over the next decade, 400,000 Aboriginal youth will reach labour market age. Recognizing education’s transformative power and Canada’s need for highly qualified people for economic growth and prosperity, Canada’s universities will continue to work with Aboriginal leaders, governments and stakeholders to improve Aboriginal student outcomes.

Based upon survey responses from almost two-thirds of Canadian universities, Answering the call: The 2010 inventory of Canadian university programs and services for Aboriginal students, shows that compared to 2005:

• 62 percent of respondents report more Aboriginal programs, courses and students;
• 47 percent of respondents report increased funding for academic programs targeted to Aboriginal students;
• 28 percent of respondents report allocations of more than $500,000 for Aboriginal-focused facilities and activities.

Overall, the report also shows that universities are moving toward more concerted, strategic approaches; with responsibility for all aspects of Aboriginal education increasingly assigned to the most senior levels of institutional leadership. This in turn has supported increased levels of communication and engagement between leaders of the university and Aboriginal communities over the last five years.

This study is an integral component of AUCC’s sustained commitment to improve the educational outcomes of Aboriginal Canadians. Later this year in October, AUCC and the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation will host an Aboriginal Postsecondary Education Working Summit with the goal of developing an action plan to enhance access and success of Aboriginal students in higher education.

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AUCC is the national voice for Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

For more information:

Alison Hebbs
Assistant director, Communications
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada